Switch foe electric locomotives



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

P. B. RAE. SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES.

No. 430,686. Patented June 24, 1890.

S [as 5 III (No'ModeL) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

I P. B. RAE 4 SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES. No. 430.686. Patented-June 24, 1890.

INVEW 01% 3% View 6 y ailiameyu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK B. RAE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE DETROIT ELECTRICAL VORKS, OF SAME PLACE.

SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,686, dated June 24, 1890. Application filed March 28, 1890. Serial No. 345,695. on model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. RAE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, Wayne county, State of Michigan, have inven ted certain new and useful Improvements in Switches for Electric Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a switch or current regulator for electric locomotives, and has for its object to provide simple, cheap, and effective means whereby the current passing through the electro motor or motors mounted on the cars can be readily controlled by the motor-man, so as to vary the speed of the motor, to reverse it, or otherwise direct its operation.

To these ends my invention consists in an improved construction and arrangement of switch and circuits, and in the arrangement of such switch and operating devices upon the motor-car.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the switch and circuits. Fig. 2 is a detached view showing an end view of the switch and one of the terminals bearing thereon; and Fig. 3 is a side view, partially in section, of so much of a.

motor-car as is necessary to illustrate the application of my invention thereto.

In running electriclocomotivesitisdesirable to have some means conveniently located whereby the motor-man may have under his freeand ready control the circuit passing to the motors, so that he can start, stop, reverse, and regulate the speed of the car under all circumstances.

In a passenger car as ordinarily constructed it is preferable to have such devices arranged at each end of the car in such a manner that they shall be practically independent of each other, so that the motor-man can stand on the front platform and control the car. It is also desirable to use as little space as possible on the platform, so as not to interfere with the passengers. The arrange ment I am about to describe is eminently adapted to attain these ends, and at the same time is exceedingly simple, cheap, and effective, and operates to control the current under all circumstances.

The switch device proper is preferably formed of a cylindrical body A of some nonmagnetic material, having upon its face plates of conducting material, and arranged in proximity thereto are a series of contact pieces or arms B, preferably, in the form of springplates bearing upon the surface of the cylinder and connected by suitable conductors with the various apparatus on the car. The motor C is here illustrated diagrammatically, and has an armature D, the circuits of both the fields and armatures being connected to suitable terminals arranged in juxtaposition to the switch. A suitable resistance device E is also mounted on the car and connected with other terminals in the manner hereinafter described.

The electric current for propelling the car may be taken from the mains in any suitable way, as by means of trolleys or otherwise,

, connected with the conductor P, and, after passing through the switch or circuit controllers and the motors, may leave the car by means of the wheels or otherwise, through the conductor M.

On the switch-cylinder A are arranged two strips 7 and 8, entirely surrounding the cylinder, and between these two strips are arranged four shorter strips 6 6' 6" 6", each of which extends less than half the circumference of the cylinder. Of these strips 6 and 6 are connected together by an electric connection 20, the strip 6 is electrically connected to the strip 7 by the connection 21, and the strips 6" and 6 are respectively connected to the strips 8 and 7 by the connectors 22 and 23. Upon the lower end of the cylinder is mounted a conducting-plate 19, having a series of cut-away portions forming steps 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, each projecting slightly beyond the next preceding step. A resistance device E is connected directly with the conductor P, and is supplied with a series of conductors to, b, c, d, and 6, each of which, with the exception of e, is of such'a character as to ofifer a resistance to the passage of the electric current therethrough, and these are connected to suitable terminals having brushes 14 to 18 hearing on the plates on thecylinder. The brushes of the armature of the motor are connected, respectively,

to the terminals or brushes 10 and 11, and the field-magnet coils are connected to the terminals or brushes 12 and 13, while the outgoing circuit is connected to brush or terminal 9. In order to trace the circuits with this arrangement, we will suppose the brushes to be arranged in position to bear upon the plates of the cylinder-switch, and it will be seen that the brushes 9 and 12 continuously make contact with the plates 7 and 8, respectively, no matter what the position of the cylinder may be; but when it is in its normal or open condition no current will pass through the switch, as the brush 1e will rest upon the insulated body portion of the switch. Suppose, however, the switch is turned in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 1, the first step will cause the brushes or terminals 1O 11 to make contact with the plates 6 and 6, and the plates 13 and 14 will both make contact with the plate 19. The circuit can then be traced from the conductor P through the resistance-coil a, brush 14, plate 19, brush 13, through the fieldqnagnet coils 0, brush 12, plate 8, connector 22, plate 6", connector 20, to plate 6, brush 10, through the armaturecoils D, brush 11, plate 6, and by connector 21 to plate 7, brush 9, and out through they minus conductor. This will include in the working-circuit the resistance coil a, and consequently the full force of the current will not be exerted upon the motor. If new the switch is moved to the next position in the same direction, the brush 15 of the resistancecoil 1) will pass upon plate 19 at the step 1, and the other contacts will remain as before. There are now included in the circuit two resistance-coils a and b, and the current entering at the conductor P will divide between these two resistance-coils. Therefore the divided resistance will be one-half of that offered to the current in the position first re-' ferred to, and the current passing through the motor will thereby be increased, causing the armature to travel faster to make up for the diiference of electro-n1otive force at its terminals.

The next step in the rotation of the switch will cause the brush 16, connected to the resistance-coil c, to bear upon the plate 19 at the step 3, and the other contacts will remain as before. Consequently the resistances a, Z), and 0 will be included in the circuit in multiple are, and more current will flow to the motor. Moving the switch successively step by step will introduce all of the resistancecoils until finally the brush 18 will bear upon the plate 19 at the step 1, and the circuit will then be through the connector e, which offers practically no resistance to its passage, and the whole current will be utilized for the purpose of driving the motor. Of course, a reversal of the motion of the switch under these circumstances will produce the opposite resultsthat isit will successively cut out the resistance-coils, until finally the whole current passes through the single resistane-coil a, when the next move will completely break the circuit. Under these conditions, if the switch is moved in the opposite direction, the same steps will be pursued, with the exception that the first movement will cause the brushes 10 and 11 to bear, respectively,

upon the plate 6 and 6, and these being connected to the adjacent plates 7 and 8 will cause the current flowing through the armature of the motor to pass in a direction opposite to that in which it passed under the previous conditions, and the motor will be reversed, so as to cause the car to travel in an opposite direction.

As before stated, Ipreferablyhaveaswitch like that just described mounted at each end of the car, and in order to save the space on the platform I secure the switch and its connecting-brushes and resistance-coils in a box or casing L, secured beneath the platform, and I mount the cylinder on a shaft N, and provide it with a bevel-gear O or other equivalent means.

Attached to the dash-rail or other convenient part is a plate F, and extending from this plate to the fioor of the car is a tube H, passing through a plate G, secured to the platform of the car, and extending through this tube is a rod 1, having a bevel-gear P on its bottom engaging the bevel-gear O of the switch. These bevel-gears are suitably housed in a box or casing Q, secured underneath the platform to protect them from injury.

Mounted on the plate F, or formed therein, is a dial or other indicator, showing the various positions of the switch-cylinder, and attached to the rod I is a handle J, having a pointer K, to show the position of the switch. This handle is connected to the rod in such a way that it may be detachable, and yet can only be placed in one position, and I have shown the red I in Fig. 2 as being formed in an irregular pentagon, so that the handle, which is correspondingly socketed, will fit it in one position only. Thus the motor-man can apply the handle and be sure that the position of the switch is correct, and when he leaves the platform he can remove the handle and use it at the other end of the car and be sure that the switch at the first end of the car will not be turned.

From the above it will be seen that I provide an arrangement of switch devices which does not in any material way interfere with the passengers, and at the same time furnishes a complete means for regulating the current to the motor.

I have not shown herein the connections between the switch and the motor on the car, as they will be evident to any one skilled in the art, and will vary according to the circumstances of each case and to whether one or more motors are used.

, Vhat I claim is 1. Aswitch consisting of a cylindrical body of insulating material, provided with two strips of conducting material surrounding IIO the body, intervening strips partially surrounding the body, and a plate having steps and contacts arranged to bear on the strips and plate, substantially as described.

2. A switch consisting of a cylindrical body of insulating material, two strips of conducting material entirely surrounding the body,

four intervening strips partially surrounding the body and connected to the first strips, and a plate having stepped sides and contacts arranged to bear on the strips and plate, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a switch-body having strips and plate of conducting material secured thereto, substantially as described, of a series of contacts arranged to bear on said strips and plate, there being separate contacts for the field-magnets, the armature, and the several resistance devices, the said resistance devices being arranged in multiple arc, whereby the circuit is completed through a resistance device, and the field-magnets, armature, and other resistance devices are successively brought into circuit in multiple are as the switch is turned, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a switch consisting of an insulating body having a series of conducting-plates thereon and contact-pieces connecting with the plates, of a shaft having a terminal of irregular shape and a removable handle adapted to fit said terminal in one position only, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK B. RAE.

Witnesses:

J NO. G. RUMNEY, HENRY F. DE B. CAMERON. 

